Blind Rename Files – Swift macOS App & Bash Scripts

A native macOS app (SwiftUI) and Bash scripts to blind-rename files in a folder, saving the mapping of old and new names in a dictionary. Both methods include the ability to revert file names to their original state.

Choose Your Method

• Swift macOS App:
  • User-friendly drag-and-drop interface for macOS 12+.
  • No command line required.
  • See instructions below.
• Bash Scripts:
  • Cross-platform (macOS & Linux).
  • Use in terminal for automation or scripting.
  • See Bash Scripts section below.

Features (Both Methods)

• Generates pseudo-random, uppercase alphanumeric filenames using SHA256 (Swift) or shasum (Bash).
• Prevents destructive outcomes: will not overwrite or re-randomize folders already processed.
• Ignores name_dictionary.csv and Analysis_file.csv during renaming.
• Preserves file extensions.
• Only processes files in the selected folder (does not recurse into subfolders).
• Reduces risk of filename collisions by using a hash of the filename.
• Detects if a folder has been previously obfuscated (checks for name_dictionary_DEPRECATED.csv).
• Creates Analysis_file.csv with only new names for manual analysis.
• Handles filenames and folder names with spaces or special characters.
• Revert function restores original names and deprecates the dictionary.

Swift macOS App

Requirements

• macOS 12 or later
• Xcode 13 or later

Usage

1. Open the Project:
   • Open BashBlindRename.xcodeproj in Xcode.
2. Build & Run:
   • Select your Mac as the run target.
   • Click the ▶️ (Run) button or press Cmd + R.
3. Using the App:
   • Drag and drop a folder onto the app window.
   • Click Blind Rename to obfuscate file names in the folder.
   • Click Revert Rename to restore original file names (if name_dictionary.csv is present).
   • The app will create name_dictionary.csv and Analysis_file.csv in the selected folder.
   • After reverting, the dictionary is renamed to name_dictionary_DEPRECATED.csv.

Bash Scripts

Requirements

• Bash (macOS or Linux)
• shasum utility (pre-installed on most systems)

Usage

1. Make the scripts executable:

   chmod +x bash_blind_rename.sh
   chmod +x revert_rename.sh

2. To obfuscate the names in a folder (e.g., temp/):

   ./bash_blind_rename.sh temp/

3. To revert file names:

   ./revert_rename.sh temp/

Example

Before:

   Mac:user$ ls -lF temp/
	total 0
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_1.txt    
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_10.txt    
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_2.txt    
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_3.txt    
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_4.txt   
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_5.txt   
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_6.txt    
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_7.txt    
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_8.txt   
	-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 foo_9.txt    
	drwxr-xr-x  12 et  staff  408 May  4 21:56 subfolder/     
	
	Mac:Bash_blind_renamer user$ ls -lF temp/subfolder/
	total 0
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_1.txt
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_10.txt
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_2.txt
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_3.txt
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_4.txt
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_5.txt
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_6.txt
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_7.txt
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_8.txt
	-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_9.txt

After Blind Rename:

Mac:Bash_blind_renamer user$ ls -lF temp/
total 8
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 007937B3F4F4D9F58B7D.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 0A8894E19F79239FE547.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 13840CB7444D948C078B.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 36372FE3EFD9EAA7A04D.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 36F6B95EC8138AE7A2E0.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 3C27A89C60DE090DE1F6.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 760A83AE04023DD099FC.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 7F4C851ECC1AC1FDE5DF.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 C2075C3D1E404186C675.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff    0 May  4 21:56 F27A8053EDC3CCE651A2.txt
-rw-r--r--   1 et  staff  367 May  4 22:01 name_dictionary.csv
drwxr-xr-x  12 et  staff  408 May  4 21:56 subfolder/

Mac:Bash_blind_renamer user$ ls -lF temp/subfolder/
total 0
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_1.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_10.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_2.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_3.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_4.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_5.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_6.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_7.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_8.txt
-rw-r--r--  1 et  staff  0 May  4 21:56 bar_9.txt

Subfolders are not affected.

Notes

• Do not run the app or scripts on folders containing critical system files.
• If name_dictionary.csv or Analysis_file.csv exists, the app/scripts will not run to prevent accidental overwrites.
• If name_dictionary_DEPRECATED.csv exists, delete it before running again.

License

See LICENSE. Icon from Uicons by Flaticon

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Contributions welcome!